Stubby Torque
Stubby Torque (also called Donkey Dick) and his brothers Paddlefoot and Brother Bear were sworn members of the Black Company. They were among the 10 Company survivors of the Battle of the Barrowland in The White Rose. They parted ways from the Company to follow Darling in The Silver Spike. With Darling, Silent, Bomanz, and an army of monsters from the Plain of Fear, the Torques helped in the lethal struggle against the Limper across both continents. ''The White Rose'' The three Torque brothers appear together in The White Rose but are not actually mentioned by name by Croaker. They originated from the eastern region of the Lady's Empire, perhaps from one of the key Rebel cities of Rust, Frost, or Thud. They apparently joined the Black Company sometime before, or possibly even during, the Company's 2-year stay in the Hole out on the Plain of Fear in service to Darling. While they reported to the Lieutenant and Elmo, their true allegiance was to Darling and her New White Rose Rebellion. When Darling and the Lady forged their alliance to defeat the Dominator together, the Torques would be among those who departed the Hole to board onto the backs of windwhales and fly to the Barrowland. There, the three brothers probably set up with Darling at the Blue Willy inn. During the Battle of the Barrowland, most of the members of the already-reduced Black Company were killed. The three Torque brothers were among the only 10 survivors, the others being Croaker, One-Eye, Goblin, Silent, Otto, Hagop, and Murgen. When Croaker called an official convocation for all Company survivors at the Blue Willy, the Torques and Silent turned down Croaker's offer to accompany him to fabled Khatovar. These same four men also were the only ones to take Croaker's offer to be discharged "without the stigma of desertion". They marched southward, alongside the 6 remaining Company brothers, out of the Great Forest. Once they reached the edge of the Forest, Croaker gave them each their shares of money and equipment, and they parted ways. ''The Silver Spike'' Meeting Bomanz again The Torques and Silent loyally followed Darling after the Battle of the Barrowland. About a year later, they were all encamped in the Windy Country with a collection of allied monsters from the Plain of Fear. There, Bomanz caught up with them. Bomanz was seeking to recruit their help since he detected the rise of the Limper out of the Barrowland. One of the Torque brothers recognized him immediately, and was duly surprised... Bomanz had convincingly staged his death during his fight with the Barrowland dragon. They brought Bomanz onto the back of their thousand-feet-long windwhale. Bomanz, privately, judged them harshly, considering them all "lunatics", "morons", "cretins", etc., and belittling the Torques' "barbaric eastern gabble" and inability to speak in proper Forsberger. Much to Bomanz's confusion, whenever the windwhale descended to hunt for food, the Torques would hurl a menhir off the side of the giant beast while singing a merry work song. The menhirs would land upright, and would reappear later, unharmed. The Torques also informed Bomanz that they had sexual relations with the females of the sentient centaur race. Besieging the Temple The Torques and the others flew over the Sea of Torments on the back of the windwhale. Deep into the southern continent, the Limper sent the fire-eater, a giant soaring demon, to kill their windwhale. The Torque brothers threatened to throw Bomanz over the side unless he acted to help them. Darling called the three brothers off with a single gesture. Although Bomanz eventually warded away the fire-eater, the windwhale was fatally wounded, and they crash-landed in a gigantic oily fire outside the Temple of Travellers' Repose. Fortunately for them, Raven and Case were on foot nearby, and helped them all escape the explosive inferno. The Torques chatted around the campfire outside the Temple with Case, the talking buzzard Virgil, and some menhirs, all while Darling, Raven, Silent, and Bomanz brooded about nearby. When Darling sprung her trap on the Limper, Toadkiller Dog bolted out of the Temple and rushed at them all like a juggernaut. The Torques helped pierce the monster with arrows, but only Silent's attack seemed effective. Moments later, they were suddenly recalled by Father Tree, and the brothers accompanied the group back across the Sea. Case realized that the Torques were somewhat wary of him since he had been in the Eternal Guard, and they were originally Black Company. After a brief stopover in Opal, during which Raven was forced to reunite with his long-estranged son and daughter, they flew northward. The silver spike confrontation at Oar The three brothers remained with Darling and Silent in Oar to track down the silver spike. (Raven, Case, and Bomanz split up and went together to the Barrowland for a time.) They set up a hidden headquarters in the stable of Lamber Gartsen, who was Darling's last remaining Rebel sympathizer in all of Oar. In the stable, Stubby's brother Paddlefoot succumbed to a stab wound inflicted by Old Man Fish. About a half-hour later, Stubby jury-rigged a lance for Darling to unfurl her vermilion banner with a white rose embroidered in silk. He accompanied her to the ramparts of Oar, where he survived a chaotic and bloody fight between numerous wizards and monsters. After witnessing the deaths of Silent, Bomanz, Raven, and others, Stubby retrieved the silver spike, turned it over to Darling, and departed with the words "tell her I'm out of it, Case. Tell her I just couldn't take it no more." He then departed to look for Brother Bear, his sibling, who had actually been killed by Smeds Stahl, one of the spike thieves, mere hours earlier. Torque, Stubby Torque, Stubby Torque, Stubby